A Memento of Not Fitting In with Kenzo

by Olivia Moreau

The traditional Runway is dying and Kenzo is at the forefront of hammering the nails in that coffin one show at a time. Kenzo's La Memento collection was presented by a traditional Japanese theatre group as  Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, delved deeper into the aesthetics of Japanese fashion and European reinvention. The second Memento collection is an homage to Kenzo Takada's incorporation of denim into couture 40 years ago and by any measure, the collection paid a worthy tribute to that radical step which changed how we view fashion. Palm frond–print maillots, bamboo bikinis, Hawaiian shirts were all part of a grand narrative of Kenzo's vision, and it's admirable inability to just fit in.